Wave motor



O. -HULTBERG.

WAVE MOTOR.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 1|. 1921.

1,423,115,, Patented July is, 1922.

2 SHEETSSHEE T 2.

IN VEN 05.-

MTORNEY seine.

rarest To all whom it may concern} Be it known that I, ()soAn Hummers, sub

' ject of the King of Sweden, residing at Seattle, in the county of King and State ofI/Vashington, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Wave Motors, off which the following is a specification.

This invention relates" to apparatus for utilizing the power of sea-waves; and its object is the provision of apparatus of this character which will be of inexpensive, strong and durable construction and which will be efficient in use.

To these ends the invention consists in the novel construction, adaptationa-nd combination of parts hereinafter described and Fig. 2'is a detail sectional view of oneloi the,

devices shown in the otherviewstor converting vertical 'reciprocatory mot on into rotary motion. Fig. 3 is ayplan view through 33 of Fig. 1 with parts omitted, Fig. 43 is a sectional viewthrough A 1- of,

Fig. 3. I

In said drawings the reference numeral, 5 designates a mast of a polygonal shape lI1 transverse section, which islse cured at lts lower end as by links 6 to stakes 7 which are rigidly engaged in the sea-bed indicated 8 Mounted upon said mast for relative vertical movements is a sleeve 9 to the lower end of which are connected stays 10 for maintaining the mast in a substantially vertical position. Said stays include extensible spring elements 11 to accommodate axial movements of the sleeve.

Surrounding the mast 5 is an annular floatative vessel 12 which is connected forv oscillatory movements to said sleeve by providing a globular portion 13 on the latter to fit into a housingcomprised. of circular plates 14- secured to the vessel 12 as shown Secured to said mast above and below said sleeve, respectively, are collars 15 having eye elements 16 to which the stems 18 of coupling devices are pivotally connected by means of pins 19.

The arms 20 and 21 of complementary coupling devicesthat is to say, one above and the other below the sleeve 9are respecwAvE Moron.

sp a ofmtersratniv Patented July is, 1922. .lpplication filed April 11, 1921. .Serial No. 460,452. 1 3 1i tivelyconnected by sprocket chains20 and 21 which extendthroughopenings 22 pro-.

,vided in-the vessel 12. Said coupling devices, moreover, are disposed to have theas which are radial to the mast. I

23 represents sprocket wheels, one for each pair of chains, and positioned betweenthe sameas shown in Fig. 1. Theouter chain 20 of each pair engages the periphery of therespective wheel at the outer side of the same, and the complementary inner chains 21 are held in engagement'withthe inner sides of the Wheels by guide pulleys24. Re-

ferring to Fig; 2, a wheel 23 is provided with teeth 25 of substantially triangular shapes extending from about the circumference of the wheel and pivotally connected thereto .by pins 27. Springs 28 serve to yieldingly retain the various teeth in their protruding positions wherebythey are'engaged by the chains to l effect movements of the wheel in but one ropar-y direction+in other words,when a wheel travels downwardly but one of each pair of chains isoperative and intravelling upwardly the. other chain only 18 operative.

; l IIlhe wave impelled movements of the vessel transmitted through the chains 20 21 to they sprocket wheels is converted into energy by any suitable power generator such as electric motors or fluid compressor or pumps, indicated by 30, provided on the vessels deck. -As illustrated .the sprocket wheels are mounted upon shafts 31 which are respectively connected by trains of spur gears 32 'withthe generators 30.

In order, however, to overcome irregular motion between the chains and generators and also to obviate-shocks due to the intermittent action of the chains, the wheels 23 are desirably mounted for relative rotary movements on their shafts 31 and are operatively connected by springs 33, one end of each spring being secured to a wheel 23 and its other end is securedto a set collar 34 rigid with the respective shaft.

In operation, the waves impart vertical motions to the vessel 12 approximating the difference between the elevations of the wave crests and troughs and also produce in the vessel oscillating motions due to the passage of waves.

As these various motions occur in the vespockets 26 provided ingly caused to ascend and descend relative to the respective chains and 21 Said sprocket wheels are effected alternately by the chains 20 and 21 resulting in the sprocket wheels being intermittently rotated in corresponding direction to thereby actuate, through the respective driving mechanism, the several generators for producing power.

The intermittent rotary motions above referred to are converted into substantially continuous rotary motions at each of the generators through the power conserving action of the springs which operatively connect the wheels 23 to their respective shafts.

What I claim is 1. In a wave-motor, the combination of a mast, means to maintain said mast substantially vertical, a lioatative vessel, means for connecting said vessel to the mast to rise and fall with the waves, wheels provided on said vessel, cables extending through the vessel and connected above and below the same to said mast, means provided'on said wheels whereby the latter are caused by said cables to be rotated in the same directions during both the upward and downward wave impelled movements of the vessel.

2. In a wave-motor, the combination of a mast secured at its lower end, a sleeve mounted upon said mast, stays connected to said sleeve for maintaining the mast in substantially vertical position and affording movements to the sleeve axially of the mast,

a floatative vessel tiltably connected to said sleeve; pairs of chains extending through apertures of said vessel and connected above and below the latter to said mast, sprocket wheels carried by the vessel for the respective pairs of chains, and means rendered operative through the medium of said chains and wheels for converting the wave impelled motions of the vessel into power.

3. In a wave-motor, the combination of a mast secured at its lower end, a sleeve mounted upon said mast for relative axial motions, stays including spring elements connected to said sleeve for maintaining the mast in a substantially vertical position, a floatative vessel tiltably connected. to said sleeve, pairs of chains extending through apertures of said vessel and connected above and below the'latter to said mast, sprocket wheels provided on the vessel for the respective pairs of chains, and means rendered operative through the medium of said chains and wheels for converting the wave impelled motions of the vessel into power.

4. In a wave-motor, the combination of a floatative vessel, a mast extending centrally therethrough, a sleeve serving to connect said vessel to the mast for relative axial and rocking motions, a plurality of power gener-v ating mechanisms provided on said vessel, each of said mechanisms including a sprocket wheel having retractile teeth, a pair of spaced chains for each of said sprocket wheels, said chains being connected to the mast above and below said vessel and engaging the respective wheels at diametrically opposite sides of the latter to produce intermittent rotary motions to each wheel in both the upward and downward movements of each wheel. I

Signed at Seattle, lVashingt-on, this 2nd day of April, 1921. i

OSCAR l-IULTBERG. lVitnesses PIERRE BARNES, M RGARET G. SUPPLE. 

